May 20, 2005

Charleston, SC - Some pretty impressive statistics for Citadel junior outfielder Matt Covington: He has a .310 batting average, no errors and has written three books.

This kid can do it all out there: Hit, field, throw, write, report and publish.

If major league scouts aren't sure about his 5-8, 179-pound frame, sports editors have to like the precocious dedication.

The Citadel goes into tonight's game at Riley Park against Georgia Southern having scrambled its way into a chance to qualify for the Southern Conference Tournament with one regular-season series left. Covington's writing career never had such desperation.

The 21-year-old graduate of Batesburg-Leesville High School has written "Twice as Nice" (about the 2002 South Carolina football season capped by a second straight Outback Bowl victory), "Bowled Over" (about the Gamecocks' not-so-glorious 2003 season) and "For Five Days in May" (The Citadel's unlikely run to a 2004 Southern Conference Tournament title).

He has also authored "Covey's Cove," commentaries on The Citadel's official Web site.

THE WRITE STUFF

It all started when Covington was watching ESPN with friends during an eighth-grade field trip.

"That's what I want to be someday, a 'SportsCenter' broadcaster," Covington said. "But one of the girls on the trip said, 'No, you can't do that.' I asked why not and she said, 'Because only good-looking people can work on TV and you're not very good looking.' So I decided I would become a sportswriter instead."

By the next autumn, Covington was covering middle school sports for the Twin City News of Batesburg-Leesville. He still writes for the publication and in high school reported on Batesburg-Leesville games for the Lexington County Chronicle.

A friend's father printed 25 copies of Covington's South Carolina football books for the author to distribute to friends and family members. Covington made 40 copies of his third book. "I told the boys on the team that if we won a championship, I would write a book about it," Covington said. "I gave one to each player and coach."

HOPING FOR MORE FUN

Of course, any mesh of "Citadel athlete" and "writer" forces a comparison to popular novelist Pat Conroy, the former Citadel basketball player.

"I am not really interested in writing fiction," Covington said. "I would want to be a sportswriter or columnist. I've had many questions about Pat Conroy but I've never met him. Another player's mom told me I should e-mail him and tell him how much I would love to be a writer."

Covington since that comment in eighth grade has grown into a good-looking fellow unlikely to flunk a screen test. He once followed ESPN's Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit around before a "Game Day" broadcast at a Florida-South Carolina game.

"But to me, it just wasn't as fun as writing seems to be," Covington said.

The real fun comes if Covington gets to enjoy another Southern Conference Tournament worthy of a book.